A few practical innovations could be found among the opulent baths and flashy kitchens at this year's K&B show

It's a little ironic to see Spartan, lowflush
toilets displayed next to showers
with multiple heads and enormous
tubs with high-volume
faucets. Code officials in many
states that are limiting toilets to less
than 1.6 gallons per flush and showerhead
flow to 2.75 gpm might balk at the
wastefulness of these mega-tubs and
showers. But the companies displaying
their products at this year's
Kitchen/Bath Industry Show in Chicago
seem convinced that Americans still
want opulent bathrooms, regardless of
water shortages.
Environmental concerns also take a
back seat in the kitchen. Appliance
manufacturers have put a lot of effort
into making their products more efficient
in the past few years. But this
year, the emphasis was on convenience
and design. For instance,